Picine Tuberculosis AKA: Mycobacteriosis, Fish TB, acid-fast disease

[cocoa_pleco]

I do know he had an infection on his hand, tho.

from the TB? i never knew that. he was MIA since october or november of 07, but in late march this year someone made a thread asking if plastic plants from china are bad due to all the other chinese stuff posing health hazards and he randomly posted that the plants are probably fine and thats the last i ever heard

[tanks4thememories]

Good post !

I thought it'd be good to add in this picture.

I see a lot of people worrying about TB when their Danio gets a humped back. If your Danio has a back like the photo below and not photos in the first post it is likely old age.

She was a nice fish, so hopefully she can help someone. R.I.P.

For me two of the hardest symptoms to diagnose as Tb is the appearance of a curved spine, and Popeye.

Of all of the pics I reviewed for the upcoming essay im working on for this disease it was clear to me that the appearance of spinal curvature from this disease is not one of the more common symptoms. So a tail pointing up or down as in a hump back is less likely to be TB.
As seen in one of the pictures it is usually not symmetrical when it is due to TB. Often you can look at the fish and see the spine is in tact.

Where Spine curvature due to genetic deformity or old age is usually a uniform curvature of the spine and typically continues in the same direction as the fish ages up until death from loss of mobility.

In diagnosing this disease in a fish where the spine appears to be curved we can also think of the actual cause of this appearance if it is indeed TB. TB commonly attacks the internal organs and often the flesh in the rear lower half of the fish this creates "growths" as they grow in size they push other things (Organs, Muscle, Spine) out of the way. This is what can create the appearance of a curved spine. Close examination of the patient can reveal one side of the fish is actually swollen and the opposite side is normal or may even be sunken in appearance.

One article on "Popeye disease" stated that if both eyes are bulging it is less likely to be fish TB.

[Fishalicious]

Before a general panic breaks out that their fish may have TB it is a very uncommon fish disease although every fishkeeper should be aware of it due to is infectious nature. Even in the cases of fish with TB if personal hygene is used (washing hands after working in the tank) as well as making sure if you do have open cuts on your arms to be more cautious.

I had a friend who was hospitalized with TB from fish and on a drip for a while as well as a 4 month treatment tablets... but from 1000's of fishkeepers he is the only one I know who has ever been affected.

[tanks4thememories]

Before a general panic breaks out that their fish may have TB it is a very uncommon fish disease although every fishkeeper should be aware of it due to is infectious nature. Even in the cases of fish with TB if personal hygene is used (washing hands after working in the tank) as well as making sure if you do have open cuts on your arms to be more cautious.

I had a friend who was hospitalized with TB from fish and on a drip for a while as well as a 4 month treatment tablets... but from 1000's of fishkeepers he is the only one I know who has ever been affected.

It is on the rise in our waterways which means awareness as always is the best weapon in our arsenal. Also if possible quarantine practices for fish that are going into well established tanks.

Also keep in mind in humans it can go undiagnosed and often unreported or might be attributed to other activities like: Fishing, or swimming in public Pools.

Read this whole thread from a fisherman's forum. It is very interesting.

http://www.stripersonline.com/surfta...d.php?t=486822

[xximanoobxx]

Omg... Theres a dojo loach that has fish TB at 1 of my LFS... Is this bad???

[kwhale]

I've just euthanized a beloved tiger barb, lest having TB.
Yesterday I suddenly realized its spine was curved, but not upward. The curvature was from one side to the other.It must have happened quite recently as I hadn't noticed it before. It was eating and socializing with other tigers pretty well, though spent times in reclusion too. Did it have fish TB?

Other incidences in my tank are/were another tiger having a small white but not cotton like spot on upper lip, and a small black convict bloat, almost to raised scales, not sure about this though. Recently pulled temperature up back to 27 after cooling to 25 for a week or so thinking I had columnaris problem.
I made a 10% water exchange and happened to star the siphone by mouth, thought droplets to nothing got into my mouth. If there's a TB problem in my tank, have I been exposed

[tanks4thememories]

I've just euthanized a beloved tiger barb, lest having TB.
Yesterday I suddenly realized its spine was curved, but not upward. The curvature was from one side to the other.It must have happened quite recently as I hadn't noticed it before. It was eating and socializing with other tigers pretty well, though spent times in reclusion too. Did it have fish TB?

Other incidences in my tank are/were another tiger having a small white but not cotton like spot on upper lip, and a small black convict bloat, almost to raised scales, not sure about this though. Recently pulled temperature up back to 27 after cooling to 25 for a week or so thinking I had columnaris problem.
I made a 10% water exchange and happened to star the siphone by mouth, thought droplets to nothing got into my mouth. If there's a TB problem in my tank, have I been exposed

I'm no expert and barely a novice on aquarium disease.. I am however a systems engineer thus a pretty decent researcher.

What I have read in the links at the top of this post suggest that you are at risk if your immune system is compromised and/or you have open wounds that come into contact with the bacteria. As mentioned bacteria is all around us. However what is not so accurate is the fact that the bacteria that causes this infection is omni present (everywhere). If you note in the links they are doing testing in our water ways for this bacteria and sometimes it is found and most often it is not found. This implies that it is not always around us and further that we are not constantly exposed to it. Further reading of the links evidences that fishermen have become infected with this bacteria simply by getting pricked by infected fish they caught.
In yet another of the links it is revealed that people who don't even keep fish have become infected by swimming in public swimming pools (in such cases doctors have also called it swimming pool granuloma). It is my belief that there are more cases than reported because it is known by so many names and those who have been diagnosed often describe going to several doctors before getting an accurate diagnosis. Most diagnosis for this disease in an aquarium is to euthanize the fish and sterilize the aquarium. In fact in commercial fisheries on one of the sub links (a link contained inside the links I posted) describes wiping out stock tanks found to have infected fish.) So once again if it was everywhere I do not think this would be a recommended course of action. It seems to be a very slow growing Bacteria. It favors higher temperatures, The crooked spine symptom is not due to an altering of the fishes spine rather it is from a growth or an inflamed organ creating that appearance due to pressure on surrounding tissue. External symptoms are leisions on the skin of an infected fish. and yet a third symptom which can somtimes be invisable to the hobbiest is when the fish suddenly dies due to one of the internal growths rupturing inside the infected fish. The most infectious stages to both man and fish seem to be if a growth ruptures and/or when there are external lesions. The responsible bacteria prefers salt water (salting your water does not prevent nor slow this bacteria)

Now for the "Not So Bad" news. It seems to be quite rare that humans become infected with this bacteria. Once properly diagnosed it seems that treatment is quite manageable. In my brief research on this I have not found any cases where it has been transmitted from one human to another. I have not found any cases where someone has died from an infection.

Now for the Good news. As always out top weapon as a aquarium hobbiest is our powers of observation and sound prevention practices. Here are some of the things I would recommend:

1) People with compromised immune systems and children should not handle fish tank water or fish in a tank suspected of containing this bacteria.

2) Use aquarium Gloves when working in tanks containing infected fish.

3) Know the symptoms and early warning signs of infection in both fish and humans.

4) Keep a clean tank.

5) Make sure your fish are not overcrowded or over stressed.

6) Remove dead fish immediately.

7) This bacteria is resistant to: air (can survive out of water), freezing, low concentrations of bleach, Salt water, and even low concentrations of alcohol. so be advised when sterilizing it requires strong bleach solution, alcohol solutions of 80% or more.

8) Practice good hygiene after working in a fish tank. (Wash hands with strong bleach solution or alcohol solution higher than 80%) and remember if you to use bleach before you work in your aquarium make sure you thoroughly rinse your hands before you place them into the water.

Well that's all I got for now I hope it helps and remember I am not a doctor all of the information in this post is from my research on the issue. Please read for yourself do your own research ask questions and form your own opinions.

[tanks4thememories]

Omg... Theres a dojo loach that has fish TB at 1 of my LFS... Is this bad???

If they use a shared filter system and no sterilizers on the return feeds I wouldn't buy anything from the store.

[tanks4thememories]

I've just euthanized a beloved tiger barb, lest having TB.
Yesterday I suddenly realized its spine was curved, but not upward. The curvature was from one side to the other.It must have happened quite recently as I hadn't noticed it before. It was eating and socializing with other tigers pretty well, though spent times in reclusion too. Did it have fish TB?

Other incidences in my tank are/were another tiger having a small white but not cotton like spot on upper lip, and a small black convict bloat, almost to raised scales, not sure about this though. Recently pulled temperature up back to 27 after cooling to 25 for a week or so thinking I had columnaris problem.
I made a 10% water exchange and happened to star the siphone by mouth, thought droplets to nothing got into my mouth. If there's a TB problem in my tank, have I been exposed

In your description of the spine curvature you say it basically happened over night. That is defiantly not genetic and I suspect some bacterium is behind the change. I would watch the tank closely. Also keep in mind that Fish TB grows slowly. frequent water changes keeps the general bacteria population in the water column down thus decreasing the likelihood that it takes hold on any particular fish. If you strongly suspect Fish TB I would also quarantine any fish that was alive and suspected of having it. Unfortunately the only way I have read about to be 100% positive on fish TB diagnosis is a culture to be grown. You might find a pond vet in your area willing to help on that front.

[tanks4thememories]

http://www.vims.edu/myco/FAQ.html#Human

"What are the symptoms of mycobacteriosis in humans?

It is not yet known whether Mycobacterium shottsii (the dominant species isolated in the current outbreak of striped bass mycobacteriosis in Chesapeake Bay) can infect humans. Concern is warranted because M. shottsii is closely related to M. marinum, a species known to cause disease in both humans and fish.

Primary symptoms of human infection by M. marinum include infections of the skin and soft tissues. Infection most typically becomes evident as reddish raised nodules on the hands, elbows, knees, and feet. In many instances the joints may become swollen.

M. shottsii and M. marinum have very different growth rates. M. marinum grows well at 30-33°C (86-91°F), but not at the normal human body core temperature of 37°C (98.6°F). This helps explain why M. marinum tends to infect the extremities, which are cooler than the body core. M. shottsii prefers a cooler temperature (23°C or 73°F) and grows very slowly or not at all at 30¡C under laboratory conditions.

What should I do if I suspect I might have been exposed to mycobacteriosis?

Anyone who suspects they may have been exposed to mycobacteriosis from handling infected striped bass should contact their physician and inform them of the nature of the exposure."